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Who is Pizza Pusha? The NYC GOAT curating a new kind of experience
“I’m a smoker, I’m a nondrinker, I like to eat…,” says founder of Stoned Pizza Chris Barret aka the Pizza Pusha.
Born and raised a New Yorker, Chris Barret, also known as the “Pizza Pusha” is revolutionizing both the cannabis and pizza industry with his Stoned Pizza concept.
Check out Stoned Pizza’s website. (click here)
The concept is simple, combining two iconic staples of New York City, pizza and weed. Barrett’s vision became a growing reality in 2017 with the establishment of Stoned Pizza.
We took a moment to talk about his growth and tour his headquarters.
Barret’s headquarters reflected his personality. It was an upscale, yet inviting multi-level and multi-roomed building where the Pizza Pusha worked, slept, and played. My partner and I were patted down and checked by his security before we proceeded with the interview.
We conducted the interview upstairs. The Pizza Pusha paused his music and sat in front of a large red neon sign that said “Either light up or, leave me alone.”
He was listening to a song off Jay-Z’s American Gangsta Acappella album. continuing to smoke his cigar, he answered all our questions with confidence and experience.
He spoke to us with the utmost respect and made us feel like guests in his home.
After our interview, Pizza Pusha gave us a tour of his headquarters where everything happens. He took us downstairs to his office and next to that was a room, where he hosted all his events and entertained celebrities’ dinners.
He showed us the room where people who work closely with and for him conducted their business. We walked into one of his videographers editing a party video at HQ, featuring Styles P, Havoc, Dave East, Fetty Wap, and more.
The energy was casual, yet everyone had a role to fulfill and work was getting done. We went into his bedroom where Pizza Pusha introduced us to Coco, his one-year-old Bengal kitten, and showed us custom air forces designed by Sole Legend Customs.
Coco’s presence made the headquarters feel more like home.
With so many competitors already in the NYC cannabis and pizza market, Barret had to work smart to overcome these challenges.
Barret began by ambitiously taking to Instagram to serve his creations to big shots and celebrities who would be interested in his product. Not long after Stoned Pizza would be a success, making deliveries all across NYC.
“It wasn’t rocket science. I just had a good product that I knew that celebrities would want,” said the Stoned Pizza Founder. “Most of the celebrities I worked with within this company I didn’t know them before, some I did but the majority I didn’t.”
Stoned Pizza is more than just a service serving products to celebrities. Now with a brick-and-mortar store in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Stoned Pizza serves locals and visitors an elevated food experience.
For only $100, guests are treated to a 2-hour food tasting experience consisting of a 3-course meal. This experience is introduced with an appetizer, featuring a salad and THC-infused garlic knots they call “Ganja Knots.”
Moving on to the main course of mouth-watering THC-infused pizza and chicken lollipops, topped off with an assortment of three flavored gelatos and lobster tail.
The Pizza Pusha is taking a step forward, representing how far cannabis can be incorporated into New York and how the perception of the community has changed over the years.
“This last Mothers Day we had a girl, she was about 20 something, and she came with her mother, who was like 40 something, and her grandmother who was like 60 something… This was the dopest thing and they all had a good time,” said Barret.
FBF Mothers Day 2021 ❤️ #3generations 💨
Over the years Barret and his team have ultimately created an inviting community for food lovers and cannabis enthusiasts.
This elevated community composed of artists, celebrities, and everyday people is growing every day. Barrett’s legacy as New York’s Pizza Pusha is all about growth. Growth of community, business, and public perception of cannabis
”I just created an environment where I would like to go, and I know it works for other people”, said the Pizza Pusha.
“Food is a connector, cannabis is a connector, and the work well together.”
Founder of Stoned Pizza Chris Barret